Mumbai, July 8 (IANS) In a major crackdown on illegal cattle trafficking, Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar on Wednesday announced that the state government is actively considering cancelling the registration of vehicles repeatedly used for illegal cattle transportation.

Replying to a half-hour discussion in the Legislative Assembly raised by MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar on animal preservation and enforcement of the cattle slaughter ban, the minister said the state was effectively implementing the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act and that habitual offenders involved in organised cattle smuggling were being booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Bhoyar said law enforcement agencies were maintaining data on cow protectors (gaurakshaks) and complainants to trace illegal networks.

He said vehicles seized in cattle smuggling cases are currently released only on specific court orders. However, authorities have detected 17 instances in which previously seized vehicles were allegedly reused for the same offence.

Following directions from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Home Department is preparing a proposal to permanently cancel the registration of such repeat-offending vehicles to dismantle the smuggling network, the minister said.

Sharing details of the enforcement drive, Bhoyar said 1,195 cases under cattle protection laws were registered across Maharashtra in 2025. These operations led to the seizure of 9,81,736 kg of beef.

He also referred to a major operation on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Lonavala, where two container trucks carrying 57 tonnes of meat were intercepted.

The subsequent investigation led Maharashtra authorities to an associated slaughterhouse in Hyderabad, Telangana. In coordination with local authorities, the facility was shut down and administrative action was initiated against four to five other illegal slaughterhouses operating in the area.

The minister said that under a Government Resolution (GR) issued on February 27, 2024, all livestock in Maharashtra must be tagged with a 12-digit barcoded ear tag linked to the centralised Bharat Pashudhan System.

He said the digital database tracks breeding records, veterinary health history and ownership changes to prevent illegal trade.

Bhoyar added that the state’s Goseva Commission had recently conducted a high-level review meeting, following which standard operating procedures had been introduced to prevent unauthorised transportation of animals and eliminate illegal slaughterhouses.

He further informed the House that the government was considering legislative amendments to enhance prison terms and fines, grant greater enforcement powers to the Goseva Commission, deploy specialised police squads, constitute state and district-level monitoring committees, and install mandatory CCTV surveillance at all inter-state border check-posts.

Addressing the upkeep of rescued cattle, Bhoyar said funds from the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) would be utilised to develop pasture lands and public grazing fields across rural areas to improve fodder availability through coordinated efforts by the Home, Forest and Animal Husbandry departments.

–IANS

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